Code Pink protesters disrupt Ted Cruz at rally

A heated rally against President Barack Obama’s nuclear deal with Iran created a bizarre spectacle in front of the White House on Thursday: Sen. Ted Cruz and Code Pink protesters speaking from the same podium.

“There is nothing more pressing right now than that Americans all across this country come together to stop this catastrophic Iran nuclear deal,” Cruz said as members of the anti-war group chanted loudly in the background.

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He was then cut off by protesters shouting “We want a peace president” as Cruz supporters countered: “We want Ted.”

The demonstration, organized by Concerned Women for America, a conservative Christian advocacy group, aimed to raise awareness about the four Americans who are still being kept prisoner in Iran.

Code Pink often makes headlines for its aggressive protest tactics. Earlier this year, Sen. John McCain called the group’s members “ low-life scum” after they demanded at a Senate hearing that former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger be arrested for war crimes.

At Thursday’s event, they made no apologies for disrupting Cruz, saying they had a constitutional right to be there.

“It’s very interesting to see those who profess to believe in free speech are afraid of speech,” Cruz said as he was interrupted.

“I respect your right to speak,” Cruz continued after multiple protesters shouted over him, and someone began using a megaphone to drown out his speech.

He then asked Code Pink to send a representative to the stage; the group sent Medea Benjamin, a Code Pink co-founder and one of the group’s best-known members.

At moments, the rally seemed more like a preschool playground, with protesters and supporters pushing each other and fighting over space. One CWA supporter said she had to leave because she didn’t want to stand near Code Pink signs.

But the fight really began to heat up when a CWA supporter ripped up Benjamin’s sign, and the crowd surged around them.

Code Pink members began singing “Peace, Salaam, Shalom” — the word “peace” in three languages — as CWA supporters broke into a rendition of “America the Beautiful.”

Benjamin told POLITICO that Code Pink had come to Cruz’s rally with the intention of standing quietly and holding signs, but aggression around stage forced them to act.

“There are many people that I appreciate for the way they react in situations like this … giving rules that allow us to express our opinions is important, it’s part of our constitution, it’s supposed to be part of our DNA as a country,” Benjamin said about Cruz allowing her to speak. “I think it was very nice of him to bring us up and very politic of him, but I still think he’s a war hulk.”

Benjamin said Code Pink started in 2002 and the group protests events every day, sometimes several times a day, to share their message. Thursday evening the group will host a “Dancing with the Enemy” event teaching Iranian dance.

CWA president and CEO Penny Nance told POLITICO that having Code Pink show up meant her rally was successful.

“It just means that they’re afraid, it means we’re making a difference. I would be more concerned if they didn’t show up,” Nance said. “My belief on all of this is that if you’re not taking fire, you’re not over the target.”

She said that Cruz bringing the protesters up with him was “brilliant” and she didn’t believe people on either side got too aggressive.

On Benjamin’s ideas, Nance said, “I appreciate her passion and can relate to her passion, but I believe she’s 100 percent wrong.”

The crowds, much closer to Cruz than when the rally had started, eventually calmed down enough to allow him to speak on the Iran deal.

“Iran has stated its objective to murder as many Americans as possible,” Cruz said.

“In America we have holidays, we have the fourth of July, we have Thanksgiving, we have Christmas. Just about two weeks ago in Iran they celebrated what they call Al Quds day, Al Quds Day is known in Iran, also, as ‘Death to Israel Day’… and there is another day they celebrate. It is called ‘Death to America Day.’ ‘Death to America Day’ is the anniversary of Iran seizing American hostages in the late 1970s. On Death to America Day, every day, thousands of Americans come together - they burn American flags and they chant ‘Death to America.’”

This isn’t the first time Cruz has spoken of the supposed November holiday. In March the Austin American-Statesman Politifact Texas checked his claim that “Death to America” day was akin to Thanksgiving or the Fourth of July. The fact checking organization found it “mostly false.” There are no formal holidays called “Death to America” day though there are demonstrations every year in Tehran.

Rand Paul, Cruz’s Senate colleague and fellow presidential contender, was supposed to attend the rally, but didn’t end up coming.

During Thursday’s White House news briefing, press secretary Josh Earnest declined to comment on the event, other than to say: “I was aware that Sen. Cruz was planning to hold a pro-war rally in front of the White House today.”